Tel Aviv, 27 Rabiul Akhir 1434 /27 February 2013 (MINA) – International Middle East Media Center (IMEMC) and some Israeli media sources reported that Israel had transfered 350 million shekels (Israeli currency) to the Palestinian government. The money is a tax revenues of Palestinians which detained by Israel. This amount is the total amount of Palestinian income tax that has been cut 77 billion shekels as debt payments to the Israeli water company, according to occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com reports monitored by Mi’raj News Agency (MINA), Wednesday. Israel imposed the Palestinian tax money in West Bank border that are currently under their control. All trade access both enter or exit through the border of the West Bank must pay taxes to Israel. Meanwhile, a senior official at the Palestinian Ministry of Finance reported that Israel collects money on behalf of Palestinian government. There are about 500 million per month of tax revenues that received from the border. Before the income tax was arrested, Israel cut 100 million shekels per month without consulting to the Palestinian government, said the official. He also stated that Israel has cut the taxes to pay debts of Palestinian government to Israel. They also added that the tax cuts to finance Palestinian prisoners who are in Israeli prisons, pays for medical treatment of Palestinians in Israeli hospitals, as well as to compensate the Israeli courts who adjudicate violations of the Palestinians.

Currently, income tax becomes the hot issues that caused crisis in Palestine. Ahmad al-Hilou, director of customs duties and VAT say that Israel should transfer Palestinian tax revenues because it is used to pay government employees, teacher salaries and other needs which have not been paid since November 2012 last year.

Meanwhile, al-Hilou said that on February 28 next Palestinian delegation will meet with Israeli officials to discuss the Palestinian tax revenues.

Israel’s detention of tax is already recognized by the UN as a non-member countries in November 2012 last year. All schools in the West Bank were closed and the teachers went on strike to protest the delayed.

The teachers today are still on strike. It is also because health care just only serve in emergency in their hospitals and health centers.

Meanwhile, public sector workers had not received salaries of nearly five months. To overcome this, the government took the initiative to increase the electricity and water tax revenue within a year. Israel previously has frozen Palestinian tax payments during diplomacy period. In addition, Israel also provoked international parties in order to condemn those who have given Palestinians full membership in the UN. (T/P04/E1).